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Members push to keep Mifflin Street Co-op open

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Approximately 125 members of the Mifflin Street Co-op gathered Wednesday night to discuss the possibility of closing because of cash-flow problems. After a three-hour meeting, the members voted to remain open by a 95 percent margin of those present, also vowing to utilize many more volunteers.

During the first half of the meeting, board members presented two options for members to vote on, followed by a 90-minute discussion in which everyone was invited to participate. A vote was then taken by hand count.

In addition to the 95 percent who voted to keep the co-op open, five people voted to close it and four people voted stating that they like neither of the options.

“I am involved in the store. I’m a volunteer and on the board, and I voted to close the store because I don’t see any structure or leadership,” board member Anna Palmer said. “I see a lot of energy, effort and a ton of goodwill, but I don’t know if they mean what they’ve said and if they really will put in the hours and dedication it will take to really get the co-op out of debt and into a place where it is a financially viable business.”

The Mifflin Street Co-op is currently $155,000 in debt to Dane Fund, Willy Street Co-op, board members and vendors, among others. As of June, the co-op’s sales had dropped 16 percent from its last high and membership had fallen from 2,000 to 1,000.

The first proposal discussed involved ridding the co-op of its paid employees and relying completely on volunteerism.

By cutting employment costs, the co-op would maintain annual savings of $38,000 or more. Throughout the meeting, employees brought up the point that they were continually receiving paychecks that bounced and had not received cost-of-living raises in the past eight years.

The second proposed option involved selling the building, closing the store, dissolving the co-op and paying off the debts. After all debts had been paid back, the remaining money for the property sales would be donated to another co-op or a nonprofit organization.

“Mifflin can’t stay open unless we get a lot more volunteers. I love the store and think it is really useful, but I also appreciate that the store is being financially responsible,” volunteer Amanda Fuller said.

A third option that was discussed included selling the building the co-op presently resides in and moving to a more centrally located venue with more parking.

Board members attribute much of the money troubles to construction on Johnson Street and the lack of parking around the store.

“A lot of people ride their bikes to shop, but families doing a large shopping trip have a hard time,” board member Paul O’Leary said.